Falling for hype of electric car dream
WHAT an excellent article by Eleanor Mills (Mail) about the electric car dream turned nightmare. Anyone considering buying such a vehicle needs to read it.
At least the scores of drivers waiting hours to charge their electric cars over the holidays were saving the planet. I wonder how many MPs have got one. It’s sad that so many drivers have fallen for the hype, but it’s obvious electric cars are not the future, unless the Government is trying to stop the majority of us from owning a vehicle. There has to be a compromise between vehicles powered by petrol, diesel, electric and other energy sources.
BRIAN BEST, High Wycombe, Bucks.
SADLY, I’m not surprised by Eleanor Mills’ stressful experience driving her electric car to see her mother-in-law, or the photos of Teslas stranded due to inadequate and broken charger points. This hapless Government’s quest for net zero ignored the impact on the motor industry worldwide. And little thought was given to ensuring that an efficient charging infrastructure would be in place.
PAUL MACKINTOSH, Darlington, Co. Durham.
THE long queues of Teslas at service station chargers just goes to show how ill-prepared we are for electric vehicles. With sales of new petrol and diesel cars banned from 2030, it looks as if we are only seven years away from gridlock. And that’s not to mention all the other issues: electric cars are much more expensive, heavier and there is a terrible human cost in mining precious metals for the batteries.
PETER WARD, Newcastle upon Tyne. IT’S insane to think electric vehicles can replace the fossil-fuelled variety. I hope the recent issues have given a sound insight to the Government and vehicle manufacturers who are adamant that they have invented a better mousetrap.
The traumatic experience of Eleanor Mills expressed perfectly what most reasonable people have been saying. Before the environmentalists have us all back on penny farthings, horses and carts, can we put a stop to this electric lunacy?
TONY PAGE, Shrewsbury, Shropshire. THE problem with charging electric cars was foreseeable, but not by virtuesignalling politicians plucking dates out of thin air.
There hasn’t been any proper financial or logistical planning, so the country will lurch from one crisis to another. Boasts about all the green jobs that will be created ignore the occupations destroyed in industries dependent on high energy use.
Britain may be reducing its carbon footprint, but this has been exported to other countries. Surely one of the primary responsibilities of government is the security of the energy supply.
ROBERT ROWE, Glentham, Lincs.
THE chaos over insufficient charging points during the holidays has only hardened my resolve not to buy an electric car.
Yes, filling my tank costs an eye-watering £120, but I can do that in ten minutes and then, with the heater on, drive for well over 500 miles. True, I could save on fuel costs with an electric car, but what is the point if I’d have to recharge every 100 miles or so? It would be one heck of an expensive way to save money if I have to partexchange my £3,000 model for a £30,000 vehicle. I can’t afford that.
My local supermarket has 12 fuel pumps, each with a potential throughput of at least four cars an hour. Charging hubs would need a day to cope with that many vehicles. The Government figure of 35,000 charging points is a red herring. The truer figure of 6,400 rapid chargers won’t even be enough for Amazon’s courier drivers.
We have more than 8,000 petrol stations, so someone has to admit we need that many sites with numerous banks of rapid chargers.